TCU basketball has defeated a ranked team on the road just twice in its history. The last time? At No. 17 Iowa State on Feb. 9, 2019.

Well, the Frogs are hoping to replicate that success almost three years later as they return to Ames to take on now-No. 15 Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.

TCU (12-3, 2-2 Big 12) is coming off a disappointing 57-56 loss at Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, blowing a six-point lead with 1:33 left in the game. The Frogs also turned it over a season-high 22 times and saw leading scorer Mike Miles struggle to get much going offensively.

It won’t get easier this weekend, though. Oklahoma State had the seventh-best defense in the country, according to KenPom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings. Iowa State is even better, checking in at No. 4.

The Cyclones are holding teams to just 60 points per game. The 60-point mark is a number TCU has struggled to reach of late, scoring 60, 59 and 57 points in its last three games.

The Frogs have become turnover prone, too. They had 22 against Oklahoma State, 19 against Oklahoma, 16 against Kansas State and 18 against Baylor.

As easy as it is to point to the Big 12 being the best defensive conference in the country, TCU coach Jamie Dixon said: “It’s a trend. We’ve got a pattern here and it’s got to get fixed.”

TCU will look to fix it in Ames. Here’s everything you need to know going into the game:

The Details

When/ where: 3 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa

TV/radio: ESPN2 (Chuckie Kempf, King McClure); KLIF (570 AM) with John Denton and Colin Boddicker

Records: TCU 12-3, 2-2 Big 12; No. 15 Iowa State 14-4, 2-4

About TCU: The Horned Frogs have won seven of the last eight against the Cyclones. They swept the regular-season series last year. ... TCU’s leading scorer Mike Miles ranks third in the Big 12 with 16.29 points per game. Miles has failed to score in double figures the past two games against Oklahoma (six points) and Oklahoma State (eight points). ... The Frogs rank last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 42.5%. ... TCU is the country’s best offensive rebounding team, averaging 15 per game.

About Iowa State: The Cyclones are 23rd in the NCAA’s NET rankings. ... Senior guard Izaiah Brockington, a transfer from Penn State, is leading the team with 16.2 points per game, which is fourth in the Big 12. Brockington ranks second in the league, averaging eight rebounds per game. ... Iowa State’s Gabe Kalscheur is the Big 12’s reigning newcomer of the week. Kalscheur, a transfer from Minnesota, ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game.

Projected lineups

TCU: Mike Miles, Damion Baugh, Chuck O’Bannon Jr., Emanuel Miller, Eddie Lampkin Jr.

Iowa State: Izaiah Brockington, Tyrese Hunter, Gabe Kalscheur, Tristan Enaruna, George Conditt IV.

Prediction

Iowa State ranks as one of the surprises of the college basketball season. The Cyclones were picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason poll, but they’ve returned to a high level under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger. They worked the transfer portal well, bringing in players such as Brockington, Kalscheur and Enaruna. But the Cyclones have proven to be beatable since league play started, including a loss to Texas Tech this week. TCU, meanwhile, is coming off its own disappointing loss to Oklahoma State. Both teams are looking to rebound but the edge goes to the home team in what should be another low-scoring affair. Iowa State 64, TCU 58.

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